Running your air-conditioner and allergy prevention

4 February 2013

By Coleman Levin

For those of you who suffer with allergies, it can be an uncomfortable and frustrating experience, especially when you're sneezing in the comfort of your
own home! But did you know that running your air conditioner can actually help ease up those allergies? Running your air conditioner filters the air,
therefore resulting in cleaner air and some relief from that itchiness and sneezing. Also maintenance to your cooling system can help reduce allergies even further by ensuring that your system is working optimally without faults.

Here are extracts from two different articles in conjunction with air conditioning and allergies

"I’m not really an air conditioner person, I really do prefer the fresh air feeling and avoid turning on the air conditioner until
the temperatures get unbearable. We’ve been enjoying having the windows open, breezes blowing through the house and everything smelling so fresh and
aromatic with all the flowers in bloom.

But then, it crossed my mind that having everything in bloom means pollen and yes, we are sneezing and coughing a bit, the word “allergies” keeps coming
into conversations and there has even been a brief sore throat and headache.

A little research confirmed my suspicions: It is probably better to keep the house closed up and air conditioner on, even on low, and avoid having
all the allergens come barrelling through the windows with the breeze.

What I found is that most doctors do recommend running the air conditioning when allergies are a problem, and most of the sites that I checked have comments
from people who say very positive things, such as they sleep better and have much less or no coughing and sneezing. Adding an air purifier seems to
help a lot of allergy sufferers, too. "

"Air conditioning does more than dehumidify the air; it filters out pollen and helps discourage cockroaches, which dislike the airflow. Dust mites and
mould, too, hate the cool, dry air.

To maintain the benefits of air conditioning, your unit needs cleaning and regular maintenance. Whether you've got central air conditioning or
window or wall-mounted units, the filters must be cleaned frequently both for efficiency and to prevent mould growth. Some models can be equipped with
electrostatic filters, which rely on static charges created when air passes through the filters, to help capture certain allergens.

Electrostatic filters must be cleaned regularly to maintain their efficiency. If electrostatic filters are unavailable, use regular, or pleated, air-conditioning
filters, which work just as well as electrostatic filters in removing 95 percent of all allergens."